A system of the aforementioned type offers great advantages with respect to exchange of information with the single cassettes themselves since information on the cassette can be read into and out from the memory unit fully independently of the ordinary recording and playing function and the tape position in the cassette. It is even possible to communicate with the cassette while the cassette, together with other cassettes, is placed in a storage rack having suitable terminals for contacting the respective member units, whereby, for example, it is possible to check the contents of all of the cassettes and thereby effect searches for desired program sequences. This can be of high importance for the professional world and, previous proposals as described in, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,426,684, use of the above noted technique with specially designed auxiliaries is proposed.